Open to Hope Articles
Do you want to read stories of others who have been where you are? Are you looking for bereavement help, and advice? Look no further. We offer over 3,000 articles written by our Open to Hope authors.
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Kelly Kittel: Learning to Breathe Again
March 31, 2016
Kelly Kittel’s fifteen-month-old son was run over by her sixteen-year-old niece. Nine months later, due to medical error, she lost her baby, Jonah. Caught up a malpractice lawsuit, Kittel and her husband battle not only the medical system, but their own relatives. She is the author of Breathe a story of motherhood, death, and family in the face of unspeakable tragedy. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/OpenToHope_KellyKittel_151102.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Easter After Our Daughter’s Death
March 27, 2016
“Come home, Mom,” my daughter screamed over the transatlantic phone. “Cyndi is dead, and we’ve been trying to reach you.” All the money I had placed into the red lobster phone in Glastonbury, England, suddenly was swallowed up. The phone went dead. I looked at the woman behind me, waiting for her turn to make a call, and whispered, “She said that our daughter is dead. That’s impossible. I must have heard it wrong.” Jane and I had only met in the writing retreat three days earlier, but the force of my words pierced her heart. She poured all her […]
Ron Villano: Finding ‘Zing’ in Your Life After the Loss of a Child
March 24, 2016
Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley welcome Ron Villano to a webinar about finding your “zing” after you’ve lost a child. Villano is a licensed psychotherapist, bereavement coach, national speaker, and author. Villano lost his son, Michael, and knows exactly how it feels to lose a child. His first tip is to give yourself permission to do something new, even if it’s “just for now.” Remember that when you choose to change your thoughts, you’re also choosing to change your life and that’s immensely powerful. All of the power is within you. “An avalanche of change begins with just one drop […]
Barb Himes: Supporting Bereaved Parents
March 10, 2016
Barb Himes is the bereaved parent of John Joseph and is the Director of Education and Training for First Candle. Barb has provided leadership in addressing the issues of Stillbirth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and Safe Sleep. In conjunction with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and First Candle, she helped create the Bedtime Basics for Babies. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/OpenToHope_BarbaraHimes_151026.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Carl McDonald: Loss of a Child in a DUI Collision
March 8, 2016
A webinar from The Compassionate Friends, featuring Carl McDonald with the National Law Enforcement Initiatives, focuses on losing a child from an impaired driving incident. The host, Dr. Gloria Horsley, knows exactly what it means to lose a child in a car crash—she lost her son, Scott, when he was only 17 years old. McDonald was a patrol officer in Wyoming when his daughter was killed in a DUI incident. The offender was his ex-wife. The two had divorced because of her drinking, and McDonald was worried about his daughter growing up in that environment. He was awarded full custody, […]
Reducing Mental Health Stigma: Lee and Laurie Burstein Maxwell
February 25, 2016
Lee and Laurie Maxwell lost their beloved 18 year old son, Dan to suicide after 18 months of severe depression. Grief stricken, they founded DMAX Foundation with the primary initiative to create DMAX Clubs on college campuses for students to get together and talk about how they are doing, how their friends are doing and how they can help each other. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/OpenToHope_Maxwells_151026.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Valentine’s Day Message: It Does Get Better
February 14, 2016
Valentine’s Day 1995: I had just sat down at my desk in my home office for a busy day work-wise when the phone rang. It was Nina calling me from Park High School. “Mom, you have to help me. I need to have something for Chris (her new boyfriend) for Valentine’s Day. I am pretty sure that he got me something and I really want to get him something too.” Furthermore, she knew exactly what she wanted: glow in the dark stars, like the ones she had on her bedroom ceiling. The place to find them was at Spencer’s Gifts […]
Honoring Our Son: Anne and Jeff Cascaldo
February 11, 2016
Anne and Jeff Cascaldo’s 24yearold son Tony died due to a rare blood disease and a medical error. Anne and Jeff have gone on to honor Tony by starting the Tony Brown Foundation helping others deal with loss and to again find hope. Anne is the chair of The Compassionate Friends national conference in Scottsdale, Arizona July of 2016. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/OpenToHope_Anne-Jeff-Castaldo_151019.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Remembering My Sibling and Child: Mitch Carmody
February 4, 2016
Mitch Carmody is no stranger to loss. His father died when he was 12yearsold. His twin sister, Sandy died at thirty-five followed three months later by his 9yearold son, Kelly. Despite this adversity Mitch has gone on to become a grief expert and is a much loved and sought after inspirational speaker. He is the author of L etters to My Son: Turning Loss into Legacy. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/Mitch-Carmody_04.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
